French Club President Confirms Bid Of £69m Was Accepted For Arsenal Target

French Club President Confirms Bid Of £69m Was Accepted For Arsenal Target

Arsenal target Nicolas Pepe could have left Lille to play in China, according to the French club’s president Gerard Lopez.

The Ivorian international has been linked with a host of clubs, including the Gunners, with Lopez revealing Premier League teams are pursuing the winger.


However, Lille have already turned down bids of €50m for Pepe, with the only one deemed acceptable being an €80m (£69m) offer coming from the Far East. It seems as though the player didn’t want to make the switch:

“That does not just depend on the club. It also depends on the player. He deserves to play at the highest level. We have offers yes. In England, there are clubs. We have had offers worth €50m.”

“We will not sell for less, we have even refused a €50m bid. We had an offer from China worth €80m with an astronomical salary, but he didn’t want to go.”

It’s clear that the 23-year-old is only looking to stay in Europe rather than pursuing a lucrative contract further afield. That could be a good sign for Arsenal.

Still, there are a couple of stumbling blocks. Lille’s asking price is very steep, while Pepe will likely want a move to a club playing Champions League football.

The Gunners have put themselves in a good position, but the game against Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday could go a long way to deciding the battle for the top-four.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.